Improvement in letter-boxes



@Inventum d, 6?

lMPETERS, PHOTO-UIHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

Cdldbr tairt ALBERT Porre. or 'PHILADELrtuA,v PENNSYLVANIA,

Letters Patent No. 109,939, dated December 6, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT vIN LETTER-Boxes.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making past of thev same.

To all whom it muy conc-cfm: v

Be it known that I, ALBERT Por'rs, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Street Letter-Box and I do hereby declare'that the following is a t'nll, clear, and exact description thereof', which will enable others 'skilled in the art to make anduse .the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawingr tbrmingpart of this specification, in which- Figure 1` isa side-view of my improved street let# ter-box.

F'gure 2 is a sectional side view of the same.

Figure 3 is a'horizontal section of the same, x'x being the section line.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to so construct letter-boxes, which are to be applied to lamp-posts, pillars, or other similar supports, that they can be readily iitted 011, firmly retained, safely closed, and conveniently used. i

The invention consists, first, in making a letter-box in two pieces, which are applied to opposite sides of the post or support, and connected by bolts that pass through inwardly-projeeting ears or lugs,

The. invention consists, also, in making the Ietterbox of spherical form, in which it is most readily constructed and conveniently used. v

'The letter-boxes heretofore used were iliade in single pieces, so as-to be slipped upon the lamp-posts from the upper ends of the same. It is evident that, when ille posts were provided with projecting ornan'rents or with euiargements at their upper parts, the boxes could not be applied, and that such ornaments or projections had first to be removed with ditieult'y.v

By making the box ot' two parts, A B, which are out out at top and bottom, to t the post or support (l, it can be put against a post or support of suitable l shape u'ith great readiness and convenience.

From the inner sides of the parts A B project ears a a, through which, after the box is applied to the post, bolts i1 b are fitted, for firmly holding the parts together.

The bolts are applied through an openingr near'the.

bottom of' the`box, which can beclosed by a lid, c.

There being no outside fastening, the box cannot be removed except by thel party possessing the key to the lock of the lid c. 4

The wedging apart of the halves BB is prevented by a lip, d, on one of the parts overlapping the contiguous portion of the other part.

For the insertion of letters, one or more slots, e, in-

clined or vert-ical, to give the proper direction to the letters, are provided, each slot being protected by a projecting weather-cap, f, for preventing rain-water from entering the box.

.The parts A B are represented as being of hernispherical form, making the box globular, which is the most practical shape, since it will most readily carry off rain-water on the outside, and canse the letters to converge to the center of the bottom, where the carrier can easily find and take the saine.` A spherical pose specified.

' ALBERT POTTS. Titnessesz J. McOoLGAN, CHAs. 1. GLLLEY. 

